Scott Walker Writes Score for Dance Piece

Scott Walker, the mid-60s pop star who has gone on to become a mysterious titan of experimental music (not the much-hated Wisconsin governor of the same name), has written an original score for a dance piece that will be presented at London's Royal Opera House. The piece, titled "Duet for One", is half of a program called "Cocteau Voices" of two different dramatic pieces inspired by French writer/filmmaker Jean Cocteau.In "Duet for One", ROH2 Associate Artist Aletta Collins re-imagines Cocteau's "Duet for One Voice" as a piece for dancers, with a score by Walker. The second half of the "Cocteau Voices" program is a staging of Francis Poulenc's one-act opera La Voix Humaine, based on a 1932 Cocteau play. It'll run at the Royal Opera House in London June 17-25.

In a statement, Walker says, "I must admit to not really being an admirer of Cocteau. I am, however, an admirer of Aletta Collins and her work. So when Aletta asked me to collaborate with the intention of deconstructing the original script for dance, I was grateful for the challenge to help take what is essentially, in my humble opinion, an antiquated piece of misogyny (in this case, woman as willing victim) and try to turn it on its head and use its traces to create something new." If Cocteau was still alive, he'd be so pissed off right now.